After hearing Han Li's words, Lu Er was taken aback for a moment, and his gaze instinctively drifted to the pair's hands.
Once he caught sight of the red ring, comprehension dawned on his face and he said:
"So the Immortal Master intends to stay long-term in our city! That's easy enough to arrange. You've both seen the buildings up on the Holy Mountain, yes? As long as you rent a residence somewhere on the mountain, you'll be able to cultivate. From what other Immortal Masters have told me, the entire Holy Mountain is a naturally occurring spirit vein. The higher your rented dwelling sits on the mountain, the richer the spiritual energy — and naturally, the higher the price."
"If you'd rather rent a private cave dwelling and cultivate alone instead, you can lease one of the existing cave abodes for your own private grounds. But from what I hear, those cost quite a bit more than ordinary residences! And whether it's a house or a cave abode, everything is billed by the century. Every hundred years, you must re-pay the fee. If you can't cover the next payment when it comes due, the Star Palace's Immortal Masters will reclaim the property."
Lu Er rattled off his explanation with practiced ease.
"Oh? So as long as you have enough spirit stones, you could even rent a place at the very top to cultivate?" Hearing this, Han Li showed a look of genuine interest.
"Immortal Master, you're joking — of course that's not possible." Lu Er shook his head like a rattle-drum.
"The Holy Mountain is divided into tiers, with each complete spiral from bottom to top counting as one level. In total there are eighty-one levels. The lowest fifty are open to visiting cultivators — anyone with spirit stones can rent a dwelling to cultivate in. The upper thirty are reserved for the Star Palace's lords. And the highest level is the Holy Palace itself, the residence of the two Holy Lords. No one is permitted to enter." Lu Er said with a sheepish smile.
Han Li considered for a moment, then said decisively:
"Very well. Show us the way. Let's find a place to stay first."
"Yes — this humble one will lead the way right now. Immortal Master, just fly toward the Holy Mountain. At the base of the mountain there's a pavilion that handles these matters exclusively."
The words had barely left his mouth when the Skiff transformed into a streak of white light and shot off toward the colossal mountain in the distance.
The mountain didn't look far, but Han Li flew for a full quarter-hour before he truly approached its base.
Under Lu Er's guidance, the Skiff descended before a rather imposing multi-story pavilion.
Apart from Han Li, there were actually quite a few cultivators coming and going here, with occasional flashes of light ascending or landing at intervals.
Han Li cast his gaze around, then led Qu Hun and Lu Er up the grand stone steps and into the pavilion.
The moment he stepped inside, he could see over a dozen cultivator-like individuals scattered before five or six isolated stone tables, each engaged in conversation with a white-robed cultivator.
Some of these people looked overjoyed, others wore sour and troubled expressions. Two were even clasping their hands and desperately pleading with the white-robed cultivator across from them. What a varied lot of expressions!
Han Li watched everything in silence for a while, observing from the side.
"Immortal Master, that table over there is now free. Shall we go?" After a moment, Lu Er carefully prompted Han Li.
Han Li had naturally noticed the stone table that had just been vacated, and he nodded.
But this time it was Qu Hun who stepped forward to approach it, with Han Li following behind.
This shift caught Lu Er off guard — he'd always assumed Han Li was the one in charge — and he followed with a slightly surprised look.
"Senior, you wish to rent a residence on the Holy Mountain? Might I ask which tier you're interested in? The upper levels are pricier!" The Star Palace cultivator's gaze swept over Qu Hun, and he immediately spoke with a tone of respect.
It seemed that Core Formation cultivators commanded reverence wherever they went. This, of course, was exactly why Han Li had sent Qu Hun to the front.
"A cave dwelling. Do you have any available? The higher the tier, the better," Qu Hun said flatly.
"A cave dwelling? One moment, Senior — let me check!" Hearing such an ambitious request from Qu Hun, the white-robed cultivator's spirits perked up, and he hastily produced a jade slip to begin searching.
"There we are! Three on the thirty-first level, four on the thirty-ninth level, and two on the forty-seventh. Here are the prices, layouts, and functions of each." The white-robed cultivator placed several jade slips on the stone table in quick succession.
Without standing on ceremony, Qu Hun picked them up one by one and scanned them with his spiritual sense.
Han Li had always considered himself far from short on spirit stones and believed that even among Core Formation cultivators he was something of a minor tycoon.
But after seeing the rental fees for these cave abodes, he was still badly startled.
Never mind the cave abodes on the forty-seventh level — even the ones on the thirty-something tiers made his heart ache. For a mere hundred-year lease, the cost soared to two or three thousand spirit stones. The price was nothing short of outrageous!
Seeing Qu Hun's expression shift subtly as he fell silent, the cultivator across the table seemed to guess what he was thinking and explained with a smile:
"Senior! Our Holy Mountain's spirit vein may not dare claim to be the finest in the Wild Star Sea, but being in the top five is beyond doubt. Even cultivating at the very foot of the mountain, your speed would surpass the best spots on an ordinary spirit vein. And past the thirtieth level, your cultivation speed can increase by nearly a quarter or more. That is why the cave abodes are so expensive. But they are absolutely worth it!"
Hearing this, Han Li furrowed his brow.